Eleven authoritative web sites run by locals are great resources to help you plan a road trip or travel itinerary to see the REAL Florida.
I am a 5th-generation Native Floridian, and although I have traveled the world since childhood and plan to continue for years to come, I still love exploring my home state. Jerry and I spend many weekends each year driving the backroads of “the REAL Florida.” Still, it is not uncommon that we discover intriguing Sunshine State destinations we have never heard of before.
These days Florida tourism is most often focused around theme parks and beaches. Although commercial travel is fine for people who enjoy that type of thing, when I want to see the real Florida, I am not thinking about Mouseville or Spring Break.
Table of Contents
- 1 How to See the Real Florida: 11 Essential Web Sites
- 1.1 1. Florida Backroads Travel
- 1.2 2. Florida Hikes!
- 1.3 3. FloridaRambler.com
- 1.4
- 1.5 4. Visiting Small-Town Florida
- 1.6 5. Old Florida
- 1.7 6. Authentic Florida
- 1.8 7. Abandoned Florida
- 1.9 8. Florida Heritage Trail Guidebooks
- 1.10 9. ExploreSouthernHistory.com
- 1.11 10. Viva Florida
- 1.12 11. Backroad Planet’s Florida Posts
- 2 So What is the Best Way to See the Real Florida?
- 3 We Would Love to Hear from You!
- 4 Pin This Post!
How to See the Real Florida: 11 Essential Web Sites
The eleven diverse web sites shared here offer a wealth of information to help you research and plan your journey through authentic Florida. So whether you are a Florida resident like me, a roadtripper from out of state, or an international traveler doing a fly-drive, check out these authoritative resources first.
1. Florida Backroads Travel
I know you’re thinking I selected this site because it has “backroads” in the name. Well, you would be partially right. But in my opinion, if I had to pick just one source of information to help me see the real Florida, this site operated by Mike Miller is it. I highly recommend signing up for Mike’s free Florida Heritage Travel e-zine that highlights a different Florida town each month. If you would like to carry the site with you, Mike has also published the content of Florida Backroads Travel as eight regional travel guides or one volume that covers the entire state for Kindle on Amazon.
2. Florida Hikes!
If you are into outdoors activities or enjoy scenic locations, Florida Hikes is the resource you need. Sandra Friend & John Keatley have designed a clean comprehensive site offering a gold mine of information, not just for hiking trails, but camping, paddling, and biking destinations across the Sunshine State, as well. They have also authored a book and app for hiking the Florida Trail.
3. FloridaRambler.com
Like several of the recommended web sites in this article, FloridaRambler.com is a bit ad-intensive, but there is no denying the in-depth content and coverage of unique restaurants, lodging, and beaches produced by Bob Rountree and Bonnie Gross.
4. Visiting Small-Town Florida
Bruce Hunt runs the blog Visiting Small-Town Florida. Skim the recent posts in the image above, and you won’t be able to resist checking it out. Bruce is also the author of several books about Florida’s small towns and historical lodging, all available on Amazon.
5. Old Florida
Rick Kilby’s bio on his Old Florida web site states that he is, “Committed to spreading the gospel about preserving the natural and historic resources of Florida, [and] his mission is to motivate other Floridians to appreciate the wonders of their state.” With a blog archive dating back to 2008, Rick will keep you entertained for a while. He was especially busy in 2009 writing 187 posts!
6. Authentic Florida
It was my pleasure to meet Robin Draper in person at a blogger conference, especially since I had discovered her Authentic Florida website ages ago. Robin writes about travel, lifestyle, and food in the “real” Florida.
7. Abandoned Florida
I am a huge fan of abandoned buildings and historical sites because every location tells a story. The young man who runs Abandoned Florida goes by the name “Bullet” in order to maintain anonymity. Apparently, he and other contributors trespass property on occasion in order to photograph and document the interior of these vacant sites. Bullet states in his site disclaimer that he does not promote trespassing, and he does not reveal the location of these sites unless they are commonly known. You might want to tour this type of real Florida vicariously through the pages of this site, rather than visiting these abandoned sites in person. Or not . . . .
8. Florida Heritage Trail Guidebooks
I am completely captivated by the Florida Heritage Trail Guidebooks. This is one resource to make the list that is not actually a web site, although you may access them through one. With a simple email order, print copies of these guidebooks will be mailed to you free of charge, and you can download them to your mobile devices as PDF files, as well. Florida history is brought to life within the pages of these books, and you could stay busy a long, long time visiting these themed historical locations across the state.
9. ExploreSouthernHistory.com
ExploreSouthernHistory.com is not a “Florida” site per se, but it has an excellent Florida section along with its archives of twelve other southern states. Dale Cox, the historian and writer who runs the site, resides in the community of Two Egg, Florida, near Marianna. He is also the author of more than a dozen books on Florida history available on Amazon.
10. Viva Florida
Viva Florida was a campaign initiated by the Florida Department of State “to promote cultural and historical experiences” statewide. Curating content from a wide range of partners throughout the state, the site promotes Florida’s museums, gardens, parks, archeological sites and more. At last check, it appears the campaign has ended.
11. Backroad Planet’s Florida Posts
I could say we saved the best for last, but that would be a lie. Although we love our home state and write about it on occasion, our site is dedicated to finding authentic destinations all over the planet. Hence the name. Still, we are building an archive of quality posts about the real Florida, so take some time to explore Backroad Planet’s Florida posts, too!
So What is the Best Way to See the Real Florida?
Without question, the best way to see the real Florida is on a road trip. If you want to see authentic Florida, you have to leave the interstates and commercial developments behind. Driving the backroads through the countryside and small towns is where you will find history, scenery, and culture. In other words, the REAL Florida!
We Would Love to Hear from You!
Jerry and I enjoy dialogue with our readers, especially when they share little-known sites or off-the-beaten-path destinations in our home state. If you can recommend a unique Florida destination or other resources for visiting the real Florida, we would love to hear from you. We invite you to leave your comments and questions below, and we always respond!
This is the list I have been waiting for! I read Rambler and a few others but am not familiar with some of the others on this list. I own a fishing charter company and serve many tourists. They are always looking for hidden gems and it is nice to make unique suggestions. Big thanks for putting together this list of essential websites, I will definitely use it for personal and business reasons.
Glad to help!
Please check out my blog, naturecoaster.com, all about Florida’s Nature Coast. I truly believe this is the most beautiful part of Florida, with its small-town charm and rich diversity of ecosystems, both water-based and land-based.
Let me know what you think. I write a feature article weekly, interspersed with a great calendar of events, nature coast businesses and short articles on what’s happening in Citrus, Hernando & Pasco counties.”
I created the site and we send weekly emails to our “NatureCoasters” to keep them in the loop.
Thanks for sharing your web site, Diane! I am currently traveling out of the country, but you may email your information to me at backroadplanet@gmail.com so you can be considered when I work on Part @.
Thanks Howard. Will do. Safe travels and joy for the road…
I’ve always wanted to go to Florida. I went to the US last summer, and there were soo much I wanted to try, but Florida just didn’t fit into my plans unfortunately. Maybe next time! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Zascha! So many unique things to see and do in the Sunshine State. Hope you come back for a visit before too long.
Love these blogs, great collection – have you come across my little collection of ‘things to do’? Mainly off the beaten path and mainly south and central Florida: http://www.tamarascharf.com
Thanks for sharing your excellent site, Tamara! I will include it when I do a Part 2.
That would be fantastic! Thank you!
I just migrated my website over to a better host, with a new theme and so on, improving user experience. I also added a few posts – recent road trip up the west coast, springs and so on – Florida is just so beautiful isn’t it, it’s hard not to love it with all these amazing things to do.. 🙂
Keep up the good work!
Best wishes,
Tamara
Great set of resources to use when planning a visit to our awesome state!!! Thank you!
Thanks, Tracy! Interesting to hear from you now. We mention one of our trips to Mt. Dora in our upcoming year in review post.
Have you checked out the renovated Riverfront park in Palatka, Florida? I live in a town nearby and was amazed at the changes.
I was born in Florida, lived in many different places, and found that no matter how hard I tried to get away, my heart belonged to Florida. 🙂
We have not been to Palatka in a while. Thanks for letting us know about the Riverfront park. We will have to check it out! Our hearts belong to Florida, as well!
If you are in Central Florida, be sure and check out: http://www.destinationdowntownsebring.com
or http://www.visithighlandscounty.com
We love Sebring and Highlands County! You can definitely see the REAL Florida there . . . .
Nice resources for Old Florida exploration.
Thanks, Charles!